If you'd like to join in on Booking Through Thursday, just click the button above.

This week's question...

Do you lend your books? Are any out on loan right now? Do you have any that have been loaned to you? Do you put a time limit on these? Do you think people should make an effort to read the loaned book quickly?

My Answer...

No, I don't lend books.

Years ago when I lent a book, I never got it back. Or I would get it back in bad condition. Yes, I do think people should make an effort to read the loaned book quickly. I feel if you borrow something from anyone, you should do your best to return the item in a timely manner whether it's a book or anything else. (And return it in the same condition you borrowed it!)

Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! This fun meme is hosted by The True Book Addict. Go over to her site to join in the fun.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

If you'd like to play along on Teaser Tuesdays, just click the button above.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week I'm reading...

So as this month began, the Golds prepared for the last days they would hold this property that had done so much to define them, this physical centerpiece of their family. October was always a meaningful month to them, on occasion even a momentous one. However, none could have possibly anticipated just what this October would bring.

The first in a powerful series about the settling of the American West and its affect on pioneers and Native Americans alike.

Zeke Monroe, a half Indian scout, meets 16-year-old Abigail Trent on a wagon train west, and therein lies the beginning of a magnificent love story that covers fifty years of passion and drama set against the rugged frontier of an untamed land.

Excerpt

When Zeke and Abbie’s eyes met, their gazes held in the moonlight, and they both knew what had to be. In the next moment Zeke’s lips were on hers, searching tenderly for what he needed, and giving in return. … Abbie looked into Zeke’s eyes, once more searching. Then she smiled. “Even if it can’t be forever – it’s you I want. Only you.” Again, Zeke’s lips took hers …

I've been writing for nearly thirty years and to date have had 57 novels published, all about the American West of the 1800's and Native Americans. I write romance, but not the typical bodice-ripping adventures. My stories are deep love stories, often family sagas told as a series. It is the hero and heroine's love that holds them together through the trials and tribulations of settling America's western frontiers. I absolutely love the Rockies, the Tetons, the Sierras, and the wide-open plains, prairies and desert land west of the Mississippi. In my books, I strive to tell the truth about the settling of the West and how it affected our American Indians, as well as the gritty depth of what our brave pioneers suffered in their search for free land and a better life.

I am a member of the Nebraska and Oklahoma Historical Societies, my local southwest Michigan historical society, Women Writing the West, Mid-Michigan Romance Writers of America (treasurer) and the national RWA, and a local charity group called the Coloma Lioness Club. I help run a family business and love doing things with my three young grandsons. If you visit my web site at www.rosannebittner.com, where all my titles are listed as well as a page that lists all my many writing awards; or you can visit me on Facebook. At either site you will learn news of new books to come as well as reprints of many of my past titles soon to be published in trade paperback and as e-books! I also have an author site at Amazon.com.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

Its been a busy week at Socrates' Book Review Blog. I didn't realize how busy until I started to type this. LOL It's been a freezing cold week in New York this past week and next week our temps are supposed to climb. Strange weather days this winter.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

One of my all time favorite TV shows is Dallas and I'm talking about the original series. I have to admit, the new Dallas is fun too and I loved the first season. The second season starts on Monday. It will be a sad season though as we say goodbye to Larry Hagman and JR Ewing.

I saw this fun quiz to see which Dallas character I was most like and I'm Bobby. LOL I always adored Bobby.

After witnessing an attack on her father’s life, Cassidy Christensen is never the same. When both her parents are killed in cold blood, her life is completely turned upside down. She now lives with her grandmother. Her brother’s family doesn’t live far away. They are all very close, but Cassidy feels as if something is missing from her life. She wins an entry into the Utah Marathon and begins an intensive training program in preparation.

As Cassidy continues her training, she finds herself right in the middle of a human trafficking ring with many shady characters and a few weirdoes too. There’s hot Dr. Jesse who is covered in tattoos. The handsome Damon and the very jealous “Hot Redhead” who continually warns Cassidy to stay away from Damon. Let’s not forget Muscle Man who is trying to kill Cassidy.

It’s not long before Cassidy realizes her entire family is in danger. She has no intentions of losing her grandmother, brother, sister-in-law and her nephew the same way she lost her parents. However, danger seems to lurk at every corner. Distracting her are the hot men she meets - Jesse and Damon. She’s attracted to them both, but she’s not sure she can even trust them.

What a page turner this book is! I kept reading and finished it in two days – I never read that fast. I loved everything about this book from the characters to the storyline. There was a great mix of romance, mystery and humor. What a well-rounded book. It’s a clean, romantic suspense that keeps you guessing. I kind of had my suspicions about the real “culprits”, but Cami put it together in one nice package with a bow on it. Absolutely adored this book!

Genre:
Romantic Suspense

Format:
E-Book

Publisher:
Birch River Publishing

Release Date:
October 2012

Dying to Run picks up right where Dead Running left off. Once again we meet up with Cassidy Christensen and once again she’s in trouble. The human trafficking ring is still after her and intent on killing her and her family. This time she finds herself to be their prisoner.

She puts her faith in Dr. Jesse but she wonders if that’s a smart thing to do. Is there anyone she can truly trust?

All of our favorite characters from the first book are back in this one. I love revisiting with them and it’s only two weeks after Dead Running. There is never a dull moment in this book – it keeps you at the edge of your seat. This is a novella and only 78 pages, but what an action-packed 78 pages!

I’m hoping we’ll get another entry into this series and a longer one!

I give both of these books 5 kitties!

FTC Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of this book to review for the blog tour. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

Some people might think the writing life is boring - you’ve got your rear parked in a chair as you stare at a computer screen for hours on end. The truth is it’s extremely exciting. I live vicariously through interesting, funny characters. I get to travel to spots I couldn’t afford, and kiss good-looking men without getting in trouble with my honey.

A friend said to me this morning, “I’m so into your book, I feel like I’m living in an alternate reality right now.” I just smiled and explained that my challenge is bringing myself back to reality. I’ve always been a day dreamer so living in the clouds is nothing new for me. My husband likes to tease me, “When Peter Pan and the Tooth Fairy fly by, tell them hi.”

The other part of the writing life (marketing) I also really enjoy. I meet the most amazing people at writer’s conferences, book clubs, libraries, book signings, etc. I’m always impressed by how many great people there are in this world. I love getting out there and making new friends.

I love writing. Even on the hard days (when I get a critique back and have to revise yet again) it’s much more fun than any other job I’ve had.

GIVEAWAY!!!

There's still a chance to enter Cami Checketts' giveaway. You can either click the cover in my sidebar or click here.

Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! This fun meme is hosted by The True Book Addict. Go over to her site to join in the fun.

Dying in the middle of the summer in the Florida Keys is sweaty business.

Welcome to Tarpon Cove. Madison Westin has inherited her aunt's beachfront motel in the Florida Keys. Trouble is she's also inherited a slew of colorful tenant's - drunks, ex-cons, and fugitives.

Only one problem: First, she has to wrestle control from a conniving lawyer and shady motel manager. With the help of her new best friend, whose motto is never leave home without your Glock, they dive into a world of blackmail, murder, and drugs.

Excerpt

I tried to speak to Dickie about the arrangements when I first arrived in town. He told me firmly that he only took instructions from Tucker Davis and he wasn’t allowed to discuss any of the final details. I wondered why the secrecy, but he was so nervous I didn’t ask any more questions. He told me not to worry; he had worked hard to make everything memorable.

I appealed to him, “Don’t family members usually participate in the planning?”

But he was very clear; Tucker Davis’ approval was the most important thing to him.

I took a deep breath. Later, our family would create a lasting tribute to Elizabeth showing how much we had loved and respected her, and how we would deeply miss her. But for now, this would have to do, I guess.

I glanced up and saw a man who looked to be in his 60’s walking to the podium. He was well-worn, beer-gutted with dirty looking grey hair, and dressed in jean shorts and a tropical shirt that looked as though he’d worn them for several days.

“Hey, everyone,” he said into the microphone. “My name is…” he paused, “well, all my friends call me Quattro.” He held up both of his hands in a two-handed friendly wave.

He was missing his middle finger on his right hand and his thumb on his left hand. Brad and I glanced at one another and laughed. I mouthed “Quattro” at him and waved four fingers. He turned away, biting his lip.

“I told Dickie I’d speak first because he worried no one would come up and say anything and it wouldn’t look right. I told him don’t worry so much.” Quattro slowly scanned the crowd. “I reassured him there were a few people here who could think of something nice to say.” He ran his fingers through his hair and scratched his scalp.

“Elizabeth was a great old broad. Too damn bad, she died so young. She seemed young to me. Hell, I’m only a few years younger. You know she checked out in her sleep, and in her own bed. How much better does it get than that?”

I looked around. A few people were nodding their heads in agreement.

“Now that she’s kicked the bucket…” He paused. “Well, everyone knows there’s no bucket involved.” He laughed at his own humor. “Have you ever wondered what the reward is?” He waited as though he expected an answer. “Hmm, I’ve no idea either. Damn, it’s hot in here. You’d think a funeral place would turn on the air conditioning.”

“Keeps the smell down and all,” Quattro continued. “I know when it was a drive-thru the air worked good and sometimes the place was downright freezing.”

I saw a few people sniffing at the air. Were they sad? Or were they disappointed they couldn’t smell hotdogs and fries?

Dickie Vanderbilt stood off to the side, staring at his shoes, and picking at his rather large tie tack in the shape of a flamingo.

“But back to Elizabeth. I called her Betty once and, boy, she got mad.”

Mother sobbed loudly, which I knew was actually laughter. People turned to stare.

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. “Mother, please. This funeral is bad enough.”

Her body shook with laughter. I gripped her tightly. “Oww,” she whispered.

“Behave yourself, or I’ll keep squeezing.” I shifted again on the bench, having a hard time sitting still when my legs kept sticking to the wood.

“Elizabeth was good to a lot of people,” Quattro continued. “Too bad she won’t be around to do any of us any more favors.” He looked around and rubbed the end of his nose.

I stared wide-eyed at him wondering if he was about to pick his nose.

“The truth is, I’ve run out of stuff to say. I know she wouldn’t have wanted to die so soon, but the problem is we all think we’re going to live forever, and we don’t. So, ‘God Bless’.” He waved and walked away from the podium.

Crazy in Paradise, is my debut novel, a Florida Keys mystery, which makes the reader laugh, cry and cheer...

My personal ad would read:

Since all great journeys start with a single step, I'll have on a cute pair of shoes.

Crazy. Ice cream loving. Redhead. 5'2", long legs. As an avid exerciser, I get to the gym every five years or so. I hate being tricked by that stinking raisin in the oatmeal cookie when my heart was set on chocolate. And it's totally acceptable for me to be mildly annoying when it makes me laugh. South Florida is my home, with my ungrateful rescue animals, where Mother Nature takes out her bad attitude in the form of hurricanes.

If you'd like to play along on Teaser Tuesdays, just click the button above.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week I'm reading...

From the first couple of lines...what a hook!

A gunshot echoed through my peaceful neighborhood. Not again. Two weeks without someone trying to kill me was apparently too long.

“Abel Adventures” is a brand new mystery series, penned by Hy Conrad, writer and producer of the landmark TV show “Monk.”

In the series debut, “Rally ‘Round the Corpse,” we meet Amy Abel, two years after the death of her fiancé.

Amy needs a fresh start. And what better way for a shy, risk-averse woman to start over than to sink her savings into a travel agency specializing in adventure. Her first project? A mystery road rally through the European countryside.

At the starting line in Monte Carlo, Amy finds herself attracted to Marcus Alvarez, the most mysterious of her two dozen game-loving clients. But the rally gets off to a rocky start when an eccentric writer, the only person who knows the game’s solution, is himself murdered back in New York.

Weird accidents begin happening along the route and Amy discovers that this fictional mystery was based on a real, unsolved case, one that Marcus knows too much about. Now she has no choice but to join forces with Fanny, her domineering mother, before the killer strikes again.

My Thoughts

What a fun book! A great cast of characters (talk about quirky and eccentric characters - this book has them all!) and a storyline that moved along at a quick pace. Once you start reading, you won't be able to put this book down. Even the setting was amazing. I wanted to be traveling with this tour group. I always wanted to go to a mystery dinner party and that's what this book felt like.

The story kept you guessing and I loved the main character Amy. She owned the travel agency that put this tour together and she quickly becomes an amateur sleuth. I'd love to read more books with her in them. I hope this is the start of a brand new series. That would be great. I want to re-visit these characters.

This book sort of reminded me of the classic Agatha Christie type of mysteries. If you are a mystery fan, like me, this is a must read.

FTC Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of this book to review for the book tour. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

How would you like to win a copy of this book for your very own? Thanks to Premier Virtual Author Book Tours, I can offer one copy of this book to one lucky winner. The book is available as either print, Kindle, Nook, Sony ereaders and iTunes.

Just a few simple rules...

1) You must fill out the form below (including a valid email address).

2) You must be a U.S./Canada Resident.

2) For an extra entry: Follow this blog

3) For an extra entry: Follow me on Twitter

4) For an extra 2 entries: Post this giveaway on your blog.

5) For an extra 2 entries: Tweet about this giveaway.

The giveaway begins on January 21st (midnight est) and ends on January 28th (midnight est).

The winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

Giveaways!

About Me

I'm married and live in New York with my husband and our two beautiful cats. I love to read all genres. I'm continually adding to my TBR and reviewing is a hobby of mine. I'm also an avid TV and movie fan.

My Ratings Guide

FTC Disclosure

I receive many free books from authors, publicists and publishers in exchange for honest reviews. I, also, may post my reviews on other sites such as Amazon, Goodreads, Shelfari, and Barnes & Noble for no additional compensation.